Diabetes self-management education and support enhance self-efficacy and promote self-management behaviors essential for diabetes management. We investigated the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the association between diabetes education or care coordination and self-care activities. We surveyed a population-based sample of adults with type 2…

Asthma is the most common chronic condition in children under 18. In Alabama, 11% of children report a diagnosis of asthma compared to the United States with 9.5%. Childhood asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to a chronic disease, and Alabama children with asthma miss approximately 10 days of school each year for uncontrolled…

Justice-involved HIV-positive women have poor health outcomes that constitute health inequities. Researchers have yet to embrace the range of qualitative methods to elucidate how psychosocial histories are connected to pathways of vulnerability to HIV and incarceration for this key population. We used life course narratives and…

Ten years ago, MDC's report, "The State of the South 2007: Philanthropy as the South's 'Passing Gear,'" (ED519455) examined how philanthropy can accelerate progress toward a South that is both equitable for all its residents and competitive with other regions of the country. A decade later, our second iteration, commissioned by the…

Colorectal cancer screening has clear benefits in terms of mortality reduction; however, it is still underutilized and especially among medically underserved populations, including African Americans, who also suffer a disproportionate colorectal cancer burden. This study consisted of a theory-driven (health belief model) spiritually based…

As change agents in the community, community health advisors (CHAs) are a viable solution to bridge the gap between health service delivery systems and the community. With many CHAs members of the underserved and minority populations they serve, change and empowerment experienced by CHAs should be documented. This phenomenological study describes…

Research studies report a negative relationship between employment and secondary conditions. Access to health promotion programs to manage secondary conditions, however, is limited for people with disabilities due to employment, financial, and insurance barriers. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is one possible delivery point to overcome these…

Effects on delinquency made by grade level, school type (based on grade levels accommodated), and prosocial school climate were assessed, controlling for individual-level risk and protective factors. Data were obtained from the Substance Abuse Services Division of Alabama's state mental health agency and analyzed via hierarchical linear modeling,…

A sports medicine survey of 119 public high schools in Alabama showed smaller schools at a disadvantage in offering health care for athletes relative to larger schools. Many schools rated the delivery and quality of medical care to the athletes as fair to very poor. (MT)

Twenty-nine Alabama optometric practices were studied using an optometrist survey, one-week patient flow analysis, and audit of patient records. Results indicate some special facets of the rural practices that may require a different kind of educational preparation. (MSE)

HIV/AIDS are affecting increasingly complex, more diverse populations, particularly communities of color. Despite National prevention efforts designed to speak to marginal experience, these communities continue to be disproportionately affected, especially in rural areas of the country which are difficult to access with communication about HIV. A…

This study documented the prevalence of exercise-induced asthma (EIA) in rural elementary schools, examining the use of a free-running asthma screening test and peak expiratory flow-rate measurement for school screening. Results indicated that 5.7% of the students had EIA. Absenteeism and poverty were related to EIA. (SM)

Describes multilevel recruitment strategies for High 5 Alabama, a school-based study designed to change fourth graders' fruit and vegetable intake. The paper discusses district-, school-, teacher-, and individual-level recruitment; compares participants to nonparticipants; and presents results from teacher perception surveys. Recruitment success…

Longitudinal changes in satisfaction with selected community services were examined in three nonmetropolitan counties in central Alabama, focusing on variation in changes across three groups (government officials, business leaders, household respondents) and on the relation of changes in satisfaction for individual services to overall community…

This study analyzed the impact of school nurses on economic efficiency. Public schools must provide resources such as books, teachers, and buses necessary to accommodate all enrolled students even if all students do not come to school every day and even if some leave school before the end of the school day. To the extent that resources are…